The Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout and Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper lived up to most expectations as rookies in 2012, and in Trout’s case, he exceeded them by miles as he established himself as one of the best all-around players in the game. Harper had a little more difficulty, but he still managed a sound season.

Their respective teams called up the players, who have become good friends, on the same day, April 28. Both made the All-Star teams in their respective leagues and won Rookie of the Year awards. Both have become household baseball names and two of the faces of Major League Baseball.

Now they have to do it again.

“Just have fun, play my game, don’t push myself too much,” Trout said of how he will approach his highly anticipated sophomore season. “When I play baseball, I’m not worried about what people think or what they’re saying. I have one thing on my mind, to enjoy the game and do anything to help the team win.”

Last season, Trout did just about everything to help the Angels win. For a time he was the key reason for them looking like one of the best teams in the American League. But because the Angels didn’t bring him up until late April, the hole they dug themselves in the division ended up being too deep and the team missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Trout made things happen in every aspect of the game as a rookie. He hit for average (.326), got on base (.399 OBP), hit for power (30 home runs, .963 OPS), ran (49 steals, 129 runs) and played incredible defense (2.1 defensive WAR). He unfairly missed on the Gold Glove for center field and on the MVP award—let’s not rehash that, though—but he won a Silver Slugger award and is now the centerpiece of an Angels lineup that also features Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols.

That is high praise.

“There’s going to be a lot of expectations on Mike,” Pujols said during a February press conference in Tempe, Ariz., featuring that trio. “He needs to know how to say ‘no’ sometimes to people, because everybody is going to want a piece of him. He needs to stay focused and do what he needs to do.”

Harper took a different path to his rookie success. He was a star in high school and already a known name even to casual fans before the Washington Nationals called him up. He made his major league debut at Dodger Stadium and was soundly booed whenever his name was announced. His reputation as being a cocky and entitled teenager preceded him, and he had some dustups on and off the field related to those adjectives.

But Harper always played all out and never dogged it. He finished the season with a 119 OPS-plus and hit 22 home runs, helping the Nationals to the best record in the bigs. He was an adventure in the outfield from time to time, but he showed he has the tools to live up to the hype that has surrounded him since before he could legally drive himself to games.

So how exactly can these two improve on what they did before? For Harper, the bar is set lower than for Trout, but the expectations for the former haven’t changed. Harper has never been one to shy away from the spotlight, so he welcomes that, although he does so with a newfound humility that accompanied him to the big leagues last year.

“It’s going to be the same thing,” Harper told reporters when he reported to spring training this year. “I’m going to treat every single guy on our team with respect. I’m still that young guy out there. I’m still going to play the same game I play, 120 percent every single day I’m out there. If I’m hurt, on my deathbed, it doesn’t really matter. I’m going to go out there, work hard and play the game the right way.”

There is no definitive way to tell what kind of second seasons these two will have, but the books on each hitter have expanded and they will be focal points when opposing teams have their scouting meetings before playing the Angels and Nationals. That will be an adjustment for both, but the incredible work ethic they showed as rookies will serve them well whenever a slump hits.

The ZiPS projection system understandably has Trout falling back a bit this year. It projects a .282/.364/.507 line with a .371 weighted on-base average, 29 home runs and 122 runs scored and a 7.4 WAR.

For Harper, ZiPS shows a similar season to his rookie one: .274/.348/.486, .358 wOBA, 26 homers, 70 RBI and a 4.7 WAR.

Trout and Harper aren’t the only impressive rookies trying to prove last season wasn’t a fluke. Guys like Texas Rangers righthander Yu Darvish, Oakland A’s left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier and Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Wade Miley starred for their teams last summer and will have a magnifying glass on them this year.